Self-lubricating textile ring



June 16, 1-925. I 1,542,500

' s. s. GORD'ON SELF LUBRICATING TEXTILE RING Filed March 831924 132,21 1 HHII ll! y In W 4 L 634* 14 ,ll' .26 'Jl v- 15-4 e 23 4 Y -50mm?! gordon Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SELF-LUBRICATING TEXTILE RING.

Application filed March 8, 1924. Serial No. 697,843.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that SAMUEL SEAVEY GORDON, a citizen of Canada, seeking final U. S. citizen papers, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Lubricating Textile Rings, of which the following is a specification.

The invention has for an object to effect improvement in rings used in spinning and twisting textile fibres, for the guidance of a traveller by which the stock thread is led from a bobbin.

It is an object of my invention to reduce friction in such devices by utilization of a specially adapted structural formation in the parts together with the certain and uniform application of. a lubricant in a manner safe from liability of soiling the products of such machines, while obviating necessity for frequent attention to that detail. It is an important purpose of the invention to provide in a novel way for the automatic feeding of a liquid lubricant without liability of flooding or excessive flow, but involving flow only when the device is in use, without requiring moving mechanical parts to effect such regulation;

Incidental to attainment of the objects stated it is also a purpose to effect improvement in such devices to the end that the position of the traveller and thread relatively to the spool may be governed automatically by the action of the traveller itself, so that ballooning of the yarn will be prevented. Also I aim to present improvements in the structural details of the ring parts otherwise. The invention will also be found to include the combination and relation of parts, which, together with further objects and advantages in addition to those enumerated may be understood from the following particular description and accompanying drawings, representing the present particular embodiment of the invention, in which Figure 1 is a top view of the ring with a traveller therein;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the ring and traveller enlarged;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail plan of the lubricating element of the ring;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of'the ring on the line 4-41 of Figure 3.

\Vith my ring a traveller 10 may be employed comprisin the shank and hook portions 11 of usual orm, preferably of bronze, this being mounted in a shoe 12 adapted to be retained within my ring and engage thereagainst principally.

There is illustrated a ring 13 comprising the assembly blocks 14 adapted to be utilized to mount the ring on the rail customarily provided around the spindles of textile machines, and the form of the block may be modified or other base element substituted to adapt the device to various rails or structures. thereon inner and outer concentric ring mountings 15 and 16 which may be pinned and soldered or otherwise secured to the blocks. The ring mountings 15 and 16 have flanges 17-18 at their upper sides extended toward each other and stopping short of each other a suflicient distance to form the slot 19 in which the shank of the traveller may travel loosely while the shoe moves under the slot. On the under sides of these flanges there are secured respectively hardened steel rings 20 and 21. These are formed with a medial groove 22 in the upper side having a semi-circular bottom, the sides of the grooves stopping short of the sides of the rings next to the slot 19 and the rings projecting slightly beyond the flanges 17-18 to form the actual travellerengaging surfaces at the slot 19.

Very small oil ducts or passages 23 are formed in the rings 2021 at suitable'intervals, which may be greater or less than the particular. spacing shown in the drawings. These ducts extend from the extreme upper sides of the grooves next the slot 19'to the lower faces of the rings closely adjacent the mutually proximal edges of the rings 20--21, or to the surfaces next the slot. They are also inclined or extended in the direction in,

which the traveller is to move, which is quite important in the functioning of the device,

The blocks are shaped to receive the angle being about 45' as practiced. The

' inner edges rounded to minimize wear of l to its inner surface immediately adjacent slightly ahead of the shank of the traveller. On the outer ring mounting 16 a friction lining or brake 25 of suitable character is applied and possibly overlapping the ring 21, so that it may be engaged by the shoe 12 when the hook and shank ll of the traveller is inclined inward by the tension of the thread, or when centrifugal force acting on the mass of the shoe causes it to move outward against the brake 25. This brake element 25 has been formed of a comparatively hard fiber composition, so that in addition to functioning to slightly retard the traveller, it will also withstand wear satisfactorily. Its braking action does not require to be marked, and only a slight effect of this character is required, as noted.

Laid in each groove 22 there is a strand of yarn 26, which is thrust loosely into the passages 23, and its parts between these passages is looped loosely in the groove.

By this means the lubricant is maintained in the passages by capillary action, but will not feed continuously therethrough. In each flange 1718 there is an oil opening 27 Closed by a suitable movable closure, so that an attendant may occasionally replenish oil in the grooves and on the yarn wicks.

In the functioning of this device, it is employed in the manner familiar in the art as far as location with respect to the spool, and threading of the yarn therein. At low speeds there is little need of lubrication and the requirement is readily satisfied without material functioning of the oil feeding device. In the operation of such machines, as slow speed is only an occasional incident, the surfaces of the rings will ordinarily have a sufficient residue to meet the requirement. As the traveller gains speed, however, its movement being in the direction of inclination of the passages 23, the sweeping of the shoe past the lower ends of the passages produces a momentary suction of slight efiect which causes a slight diffusion of oil from the passages upon the faces of the rings. If desired the yarn 26 may be so extended in the passages as to make contact with the shoe as it passes, or one or other limited number only of the yarn portions in the passages so extended. In this way a wiping contact will bemade whereby slow speed operation may effect proper lubrication, if required.

When the traveller attains high speed,"

corresponding to a similar speed in the yarn being unwound from the bobbin, it has a slight tendency to maintain a position too much advanced and also in case of momentary slowing of the machinery it may run the yarn leaving the spool.

In addition, the yarn by its motion tends to balloon or how outwardly by reason of the rapidity of its motion, with consequent liability of difficulty by engagement ,with machine parts, other thread or other objects. At such speeds, the tension on the yarn tends to draw the hook 11 inwardly with more force than at low speeds, and also centrifugal force actingon or developed in the shoe causes the latter to bear outwardly with augmented force. At such times therefore, the shoe engages the brake ring 25 and suflicient retardance is effected to hold the traveller in a more rearward position with respect to the point at which the yarn leaves the bobbin and also to increase the tension on the yarn sufiiciently to offset its ballooning tendency.

By forming the passages 23 of very small diameter, capillary attraction is utilized to prevent the feeding of excessive quantities of oil therefrom by gravity or the influence of the traveller, and liability of gumming' the machines and soiling of the product has been found to beentirely absent. The traveller hook and shank are ordinarily-formed integrally of sheet bronze blanks, one end portion bent to form the hook While the edges of the shank are turned backwardly and recurved so that they meet to form a nearly or quite cylindrical shank, the. edges-of the hook also being suitably rounded to reduce wear of It will be seen and understood that the device is adapted to be produced readily, and it has been found to function with high efiiciency for the ends in view. It is not excessive in cost, as the parts are adapted to be made in accordance with familiar shop practices.

The rings 20 and 21 may be made offiber, bronze or other material, if desired, which will be found desirable for machines used in Wettwisting, to prevent corrosion of the wearing faces.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, a trave1ler, a ring having a guiding surface to engage the traveller, said ring including a reservoir for liquid lubricant, a capillary lubricant duct forming communication between said reservoir and surface and being inclined in the direction of movement of the traveller.

2. A device of the character described comprising a traveller having a shank and shoe, a ring having a slot receiving the shank loosely therethrough and having bearing surfaces to receive the shoe thereagainst and a friction ring disposed at the guiding shoe under high speed operation.

3. In a device of the character described,

a traveller, a ring having a guiding surface to engage the traveller, and including a reservoir for liquid lubricant above the level of said guiding surface, ducts being provided leadingfrom the upper part of the reservoir downwardly to said guiding surface, and wick means extending from the reservoir to said duct and stopping short of said guiding surface.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SAMUEL SEAVEY GORDON. 

